


your best interest - a taening/tyunning au

by taejun



Category: TXT (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Kai is bad at math, M/M, Strangers to Lovers, Taehyun is smart, kai doesn't have a roommate, kai is friends with soobin, kai thinks a little too much, kinda cheesy, maybe i'll add some side yeonbin or soogyu who knows, slow burn?, taegyu are roommates, taehyun and kai are whipped but neither of them know yet, taehyun is a sweetie, taehyun is friends with beomgyu and yeonjun, taening, tyunning, yeonbin are roommates, yeonjun knows them all
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-29
Updated: 2019-09-07
Packaged: 2020-10-01 22:20:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20423417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/taejun/pseuds/taejun
Summary: taehyun is one of the highest-scoring students in kai's calculus class, and kai's not very good at math.or, that one au where kai needs a math tutor and taehyun is willing to help.





	1. 1

Okay, so maybe he didn't think this through. Kai's advisor told him to take statistics instead of calculus, that statistics would be easier, that he wasn't doing so hot in math. But Kai said, "I'm sure it won't be that bad" and enrolled in the class anyway.

So there he was, about to be handed back the second test of the semester, and he was more than anxious. He could remember how he felt when he was taking it: he didn't know a thing. Sure, he understood when the professor was teaching it, and he understood it when they reviewed before the test, but when the time actually came to see what he knew, he didn't know any of it.

The professor strode by Kai's desk and placed the test on it, face down. _That's never good, _Kai thought. He flipped his paper over slowly and saw the daunting numbers at the top in big red pen.

47.

Yikes.

And just beneath the score, a note reading "see me when class ends." Great.

The class then proceeded as normal. Kai took his notes as usual, but he couldn't shake the thought of what the professor could want from him. Of course it was to talk about his grade. He knew that if he couldn't pull his grade up for the next test, he would probably be doomed for the whole semester. Kai was taken from his thoughts when he heard the shuffling of bags and chairs around him; class was over. 

The room cleared, except for one boy, who sat at his seat on his phone. Kai didn't think much of it, and he shoved his things into his bag and shuffled from his seat to the professor's desk. "Um, sir, what did you want to talk about? Is it my grades?" Kai caught his attention and inquired.

"Ah, yes. I've talked with one of your classmates, Kang Taehyun," the professor gestured to the boy who was on his phone, "and asked if he would be willing to tutor you; he agreed. Taehyun is one of my highest-scoring students, and I think it would be beneficial for you to take this offer. I can't require you to, but I'm sure you're aware of what will happen if you continue making grades like this."

Taehyun stood up from his seat and approached Kai and their professor. He handed Kai a slip of paper, "here is my phone number. You can send me your name and we can exchange schedules and find a time that works best for us. My dorm is in Unit C."

After saying that, Taehyun strode back to his seat and collected his things, giving the two a slight bow before exiting. Kai and his professor wrapped up their conversation, and Kai returned to his dorm. His mind was flooding with thoughts, and he couldn't seem to stop thinking. He lives in Unit C as well. How long had he been living near this Taehyun guy? He didn't even know he was in his class. He took out his phone and the slip of paper and added a new contact, "Tutor (Kang Taehyun)".

He sent a quick message: _hey, this is huening kai _

Nervous, he placed his phone down on his nightstand and looked at the ceiling, thinking once more.

And then, his phone buzzed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading this first chapter! it's been a while since i've written a full fic, so please excuse me for any inaccuracies or ooc moments! i'll try to update often, but this tiny chapter took me two days to process, so i'm not sure how often i'll be.  
kudos and comments are appreciated!


	2. 2

Kai immediately grabbed his phone. The message was from Taehyun, and it read: _hey, i was waiting for your text. here is my schedule [attachment]_

He reviewed it, and the two boys talked and settled on times. Kai still hadn't mentioned that they lived in the same unit. Should he? Would it be weird? There he was, thinking again. He always did that; he would start thinking of something and then he wouldn't be able to take his mind off of it. Maybe that's why he wasn't doing good in calculus.

His phone buzzed.

He checked it, and it was a message from Soobin.

_soobin: did you text your classmate yet?_

_kai: yeah, we're gonna meet up in his dorm every day at 5 for an hour_

_soobin: that's good, i hope it works out well. good night <3_

_kai: good night hyung <3_

He sighed, put his phone on "do not disturb," and placed it face down on the nightstand. Tomorrow was gonna be a long day.

-

Taehyun was excited waking up that morning, to say the least. He always seemed cool and collected in front of his classmates, but he was a fun guy. He would have movie nights with Beomgyu and Yeonjun, or they'd take late-night strolls to the local convenience store for ice cream. Part of him wanted to do those things with Kai. He'd admit it; he wanted to be his friend. However, he didn't want to come off the wrong way, so he just let his feelings dissipate. When his professor asked him if he'd tutor Kai, he was somewhat ecstatic (but of course he didn't let it show). 

Taehyun rolled out of bed, got ready for class, and woke up Beomgyu before heading out. Beomgyu had classes later than him, so he could sleep in a little more, but Taehyun had always made an effort to try waking him up.

-

Calculus was their last class for the day. Kai and Taehyun decided on 5 for their meeting time because they could leave their class, grab a quick bite, and then go to study. Kai walked into the class, and he noticed something was different. Taehyun was sitting in the seat next to his, and his normal seat neighbour was now in Taehyun's old seat.

"Hey," Taehyun caught Kai's attention when we had sat down and settled his things, "I thought it might be helpful for us to sit next to each other. I can make sure you're on track, and when you have any questions, you can just ask me. But if you don't wanna do that, you can just wait until our study session." Kai gave him a simple _yeah, that works _while nodding and rummaging through his bag for a pencil.

The class went by quickly, and before they knew it, it was over. They both decided to stop by the school's convenience store to grab some cups of instant ramen to heat up at Taehyun's dorm for dinner. They walked back to the unit side by side, Kai swinging the bag slightly with each stride they took.

Kai breaks the silence, "did you know we live in the same unit?"

It catches Taehyun off guard slightly, but he responds, "no, but I guess that'll make things easier for us." 

Both boys let out little laughs, before returning to their silent stroll. It wasn't a bad silence. It was a comfortable silence. Nothing needed to be said, and that was fine. It wasn't awkward or weird; it was just two guys with their ramen and Sprite, returning to their dorm unit to do some studying.

Before they knew it, they were there. They went up to Taehyun's room, and he frantically apologized for the mess. "I think Beomgyu leaves it like this on purpose. He knew you were coming, so he went to hang out with Yeonjun- ah, you probably don't know either of them. Beomgyu is my roommate, and Yeonjun is one of our friends."

Kai could've sword he recognized the name. Yeonjun. Maybe Soobin had mentioned him before? He'd have to ask later. But now, it was time to study. The boys heated up their ramen and settled down to work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi everyone! another update  
i'm afraid my writing style seems all over the place? i guess my brain is all over the place and i'm writing what i'm thinking at the moment.  
i'm not planning anything out in this au; it's just me thinking and going with it. i hope you all enjoyed this chapter! comments and kudos are appreciated <3 see u soon !!


	3. 3

Lucky for Taehyun, their university's dorms were laid out like an apartment would be, so Taehyun and Beomgyu had their own rooms, a shared bathroom, a living room, and a small kitchen. It was nice, and it was all the two really needed. He wasn't sure he'd be ready to show Kai where he slept yet anyway.

The two sat around the coffee table in the living room, slurping their ramen. They ate in silence, and just like the walk home, neither of them minded. When they finished their food, Taehyun collected the trash and cleaned up, while Kai prepared his things to study. Taehyun returned, sat to the left of Kai, and the two started working.

They seemed to get along naturally. It wasn't awkward, and it was like had been friends for a long time already. Even Kai, who was normally shy, was cracking jokes and making Taehyun laugh often. It was nice; they both had to admit that. Maybe neither of them would mind being friends outside of this study stuff. Kai didn't really talk or hang out with people besides Soobin. Sometimes he felt burdening, because Soobin had homework and other friends, but Kai only had him.

"Okay, so now you need to simplify this radical, so what would that be?" Taehyun looked up at Kai, who was focused intently on the problem. To be honest, he was kinda struck at that moment. He noticed tiny details, like the way his eyebrows furrowed and the way his eyelids folded into three. He noticed the 3 moles that were sprinkled by his lip, eyelid, and forehead. He noticed the way Kai's nose shape rose and fell. He had to admit: Kai was a good-looking guy. Of course, it's not like he would da-

"It should be 2 square root of 8 right?" Kai looked up at him and snapped him from his thoughts. Their eyes met, and Taehyun felt his cheeks getting warm, so he frantically looked back at the paper.

"A-ah, yeah. That's it," he responded, "Okay, now how about this..." They continued working like before, and before they knew it, the work was finished and it was time to go.

Taehyun walked Kai to the door. "Hey, thanks for helping me," Kai smiled at him, "I think I'll get the hang of it. Same time tomorrow?"

"Yeah, of course," Taehyun smiled back at him. With that Kai left, and Taehyun was standing in his doorway. Kai's smile must've done something to him. _Ahh it's nothing, he's just a friend. I'm probably thinking like this because this is our first time hanging out. Yeah, that's it, _he thought.

He reentered the apartment, got ready for bed, and laid down. He laid on his side, his phone open to the messages between him and Kai. _I don't wanna bother him... _Taehyun put his phone down and let sleep take over him.

Little did he know, just a few rooms down, Kai was doing the same thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey everyone! it's been a while  
i'm not entirely happy with how this chapter turned out, but i wanted to get something out. sorry if any of it's written confusingly. i know what i'm trying to say, but some of you might not :(  
anyway, see you all next time! thanks for reading


End file.
